Myths and Facts About Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition in which your body can not metabolize blood glucose, therefore it remains high. If left untreated, for a long time, diabetes can lead to life-threatening and vision-threatening conditions. To get rid of high levels of sugar in the blood, you need to take antidiabetic medications or insulin. There are many things that we often hear about diabetes and they are not true, said without any scientific background.
In this article, we will bust those myths and help you differentiate between myths and facts. If you are diabetic, you should visit your healthcare provider frequently. For an expert opinion, you should visit an Internal Medicine specialist in Lahore.
Myth- diabetes is not a serious health condition
Fact- diabetes is a common disease, due to which some people tend to take it lightly. But it is wrong. Diabetes should be taken seriously. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious complications, such as:
- Kidney damage or kidney failure
- Amputation of leg or arm
- Heart diseases
- Loss of vision
- Nerve damage
- Loss of sensations in the foot
- Difficult recovery from infections
Diabetes needs to be managed properly to prevent complications.
Myth- eating too many sugary foods can lead to diabetes.
Fact- diabetes is a disease in which your body fails to secrete insulin, or the receptors become insensitive to it. Diabetes does not occur due to eating too much sugar. When you consume sugar, your pancreas releases insulin to metabolize it. But in diabetes, this fails to happen. However, consuming too much sugar can lead to obesity, which can, in turn, increase the risk of diabetes. Therefore, you should abstain from consuming too much sugar.
Myth- diabetes can be cured.
Fact- there is no cure for diabetes until now. It is managed with symptomatic treatment, which includes antidiabetic medications and insulin. Along with it, you should maintain a healthy weight according to the body mass index and make a daily routine of workouts.
Myth- patients who are prescribed insulin have a serious form of diabetes, as compared to those who take oral antidiabetic tablets.
Fact- there are two types of treatment for diabetes, oral antidiabetic drugs, and insulin. They are given depending upon the type.
In type I diabetes, your pancreas fails to produce insulin, whereas, in type II diabetes, the receptors become insensitive to its action. Therefore the healthcare providers give the treatment depending upon the type. However, both of them are in serious condition. Any one of them, if left untreated, can lead to life-threatening complications. Therefore whatever kind of diabetes you have, you should take the treatment as your healthcare provider prescribes.
Myth- amputation is inevitable for people having diabetes.
Fact- diabetes, if left untreated, can lead to serious complications, and amputation is one of them. But if you manage your diabetes well, keep a check on your blood glucose levels, keep them well under control, consult with your doctor frequently, the chances of amputation get quite low. The more you keep your blood glucose levels under control, the more healthy and protected you can remain.
Myth- People with diabetes can not do physical activity.
Fact- diabetic people can do physical activity. It helps in lowering their blood glucose levels. But before making a routine of daily workouts, they should consult with their healthcare provider as they may lower the dose of insulin prescribed to them. Exercise can lower your blood glucose levels, and when combined with insulin and other medications, can lead to hypoglycemia- a condition in which your blood glucose levels fall below normal limits.
The Bottom Line
Diabetes needs to be managed well. You should believe in things having a scientific background. Do not believe in myths and make your life miserable. If you have diabetes, you should visit the healthcare provider for follow-up visits. For an expert opinion, you can visit an Internal Medicine Specialist in Karachi.
